Box Score Score: VCU 69, George Washington 65
Location: Washington, D.C. (Charles E. Smith Center)
Records: VCU 21-8 (13-3 A-10), George Washington 21-8 (10-6)
The short story: Jordan Burgess hit a go-ahead 3-pointer from the corner with 59 seconds remaining and Jonathan Williams scored 15 of his career-high 17 points in the second half to spark VCU to a crucial road win Saturday.
THE DIFFERENCE
- VCU led by as many as seven with 5:18 remaining, but George Washington's Kevin Larsen capped a 12-4 run with a pair of free throws with 1:30 left to give the Colonials a 63-62 lead.
- On the ensuing VCU possession, JeQuan Lewis drove to the left baseline and slipped a pass to a wide-open Burgess in the right corner for three in front of the Rams' bench.
- Larsen couldn't convert down low on the Colonials' next chance and Mo Alie-Cox drew a foul for VCU on the rebound. His free throws pushed the Rams in front 67-63 with 35 seconds left.
- George Washington had one last gasp. VCU missed the front end of a one-and-one following a pair of Larsen free throws. Patricio Garino managed to get a look from three for the Colonials, but his attempt fell short and the Rams corralled the rebound with two seconds remaining.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- While George Washington keyed on VCU's Melvin Johnson and Lewis defensively, Williams went wild. He drove and finished at the rim repeatedly in the second half. He finished 7-of-11 from the field and dished out five assists.
- Burgess added 14 points and four rebounds for the Rams, while Alie-Cox was a stalwart defensively for VCU and finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots.
- VCU shot .509 (28-of-55) from the floor in the game and outscored the Colonials 42-30 in the paint.
- Tyler Cavanaugh led all scorers with 19 points for George Washington.
NOTABLE
- With the victory, the Rams maintain their hold on first place in the Atlantic 10 and clinch one of the top four seeds in the upcoming conference tournament in Brooklyn, N.Y. The top four seeds receive first round byes.
- The game featured eight lead changes, six of them in the second half. VCU jumped to an early 12-4 advantage and led 28-27 at the break.
- VCU's Melvin Johnson scored 10 points and moved into 10th place on the Rams' all-time scoring list with 1,557. Johnson also hit his 100th 3-pointer of the season. He joins Troy Daniels as the only players on program history to accomplish that feat.
UP NEXT
- VCU will return home to host Davidson on Wednesday, March 2 at 7 p.m. The Rams will honor seniors Johnson and Korey Billbury prior to that contest.
